RUSSIA RELIGION NEWS

On 16 February 2017 the Lenin district court of
the city of
Voronezh will consider the case of an administrative violation of
law with
respect to the local religious organization of Jehovah's
Witnesses, which is
incorrectly accused of failure to notify authorities about a
worship service
which was held on 9 October 2016 in a rented sports complex on
Voroshilov
Street. On that day police invaded a worship service with a
search. Believers
are convinced that the case is subject to termination for lack of
an administrative
violation of law.

The law does not require informing authorities
about prayer
and religious meetings, which was finally clarified by the
Constitutional Court
of the Russian federation. In a ruling of 5 December 2012, the
Constitutional
Court, while reviewing an appeal by the commissioner for human
rights filed in
the interests of Jehovah's Witnesses, explained:

"The necessity to inform authorized bodies of
state
power or agencies of local administration about such a public
religious event
and to bear other burdens established by law by virtue of a single
incident of
occurrence outside of places especially intended for these
purposes is an
illegal interference of the state in the sphere of freedom of
conscience,
guaranteed to everyone by article 28 of the constitution of the
Russian
federation and recognized by article 9 of the Convention on
Protection of Human
Rights and Basic Liberties, and it is a restriction of the right
to freedom of
assembly that is unreasonable and not required by purposes
indicated in
articles 17 and 55 of the constitution of the Russian federation
and also in
point 2 of article 11 of the Convention on Protection of Human
Rights and Basic
Liberties. [. . .]

Law enforcers, including courts, while
considering disputed
issues relative to the necessity of informing bodies of public
authority
regarding the conduct of public religious events in places other
than those
indicated in points 1-4 of article 16 of the federal law 'On
freedom of
conscience and religious association,' including resolution of an
issue of
applying administrative responsibility for noncompliance with this
requirement,
should be guided by the constitution of the Russian federation and
the present
ruling and in any case not apply the procedure for conducting
rallies,
demonstrations, and processions to prayer and religious meetings
conducted in
nonresidential premises, if neither the religious event itself nor
the location
of the nonresidential premises requires of agencies of public
authority the
application of measures aimed at ensuring public order and the
safety and
tranquility of citizens" (Order of the Constitutional Court of the
RF of 5
December 2012). (tr. by PDS, posted 20 February 2017)

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